by Layna Snow
She could feel her pulse start to pound. She could feel her body get more sensitive. And if she closed her eyes she could picture him, moving towards her with purpose. She could almost feel his hand moving along her leg, towards a part of her that was starting to tingle. What was that strange flitting pressure in her lower tummy? And why were her nipples getting harder? Surely she was not cold!
And whose hands were moving through her hair? Whose heat did she feel along her back? It had to be, but it could not be...Seth? The thought made her shiver a little. And in something other than fear.
What would he do next? Melody wanted to know. Wanted to demand. But he was not there. And she did not know the answers herself. All she knew was that she felt empty. She needed, craved... something. But she would not get that something tonight, because the daydream was done. And she was already falling asleep.
5
Seth leaned against the door frame, and watched Melody interact with her new friend. He knew that the girls wouldn’t be able to see him. They were so focused on the computer that they probably wouldn’t notice if he did jumping jacks. Not that he planned to. That would be something Caleb would do, just to make Melody laugh.
It had been a week since his friend found the wounded girl. It had been a week since she invaded their space. It seemed like she had been here forever.
He wasn’t thinking like those sappy people in movies. He wasn’t implying that he felt that she was supposed to be here. No, he meant that she had been here too long already. She seemed to think this was her house. She walked around like she owned the place and did what she pleased. She never asked to use something, she just figured that she had the right.
He wasn’t used to having a woman in the house. Lucy refused to move in with him, so he didn’t really know what to expect.
And alright, it wasn’t that he didn’t like the girl. She was kind and quite curious. But she was wrapping everyone around her little finger. Including Cay. Especially Cay.
This week Seth had watched them getting closer. Caleb used every opportunity to touch her. He rubbed her arms, ran his hand along her skin. He often touched her face, and looked into her eyes. And he laughed at her jokes. Sure, she was being completely serious in her self-importance, but Cay just thought that it was adorable.
It wasn’t. Seth just didn’t understand why Caleb would not heed his warnings to stay away from the girl. Seth was usually right, despite what he had said to Caleb a week ago. Besides, Cay had seen what it was like when Seth was courting Lucy. He had to know that he had to guard himself more.
And why had Cay changed his mind about her so quickly. Seth thought that Caleb was angry. He had sulked for about a day until Melody drew him into a conversation about flora. She seemed fascinated by trees. She had pulled him out the French door that led to the back garden and pressed up to him.
Even Seth couldn’t deny the pure curiosity and enjoyment that lit up her face that day. A small part of him wished she had asked him about the roses and hibiscus. Then she would have been looking up at him with trust and adoration.
Seth shook his head, even now drawn in by that remembered look. He would not be suckered in by a crazy girl with a strange healing ability. He would not notice the way her hips rolled as she walked. Or how her breasts bounced and jiggled under Caleb’s old T-shirt. He would not pay any more attention to her creamy skin or her long smooth thighs as they disappeared under a pair of his – because they fit her best—boxers.
No, she needed clothes of her own. That was why he had asked, more like commanded, Cay to invite Emily over.
Emily Collins was their friend’s little sister. It was actually Justin’s fault that they were here. They had met him at the University of Guelph and the man had told them about the town he grew up in a few hours away. It was a small town that desperately needed a vet’s office. And after visiting him once they were out of school, Caleb and Seth knew that this would be where their home would be.
They had been planning the move when he asked Lucy to take the next step, to move in with him, to marry him. It was a good thing that she said no. He realized that the relationship was bound to fail at some point in time. It was just missing something.
After they moved here, Justin had moved to the city to be a doctor and had left them in charge of taking care of his precious sister. The girl was 24, old enough to take care of herself—and she didn’t really listen to him any better than Caleb did—but he had agreed. And now Seth worried that Justin would have something to say when he saw the new pink streaks in the girl’s hair.
He hoped that Emily didn’t talk Melody into changing her hair colour. It was beautiful on its own. But Mel did need clothes. She couldn’t live in their clothing forever. And they couldn’t go around telling everyone that she didn’t own any clothes of her own at the moment. That would bring up all sorts of problems.
“So, why didn’t you bring any clothes when you left that cult thing?” Seth heard Emily ask.
He waited for Melody’s response. He needed to know if she could be counted on to stick to the story they made up to explain her naivety. He didn’t have to wait long.
“It was not a cult! I read up on those! Those are horrible and blasphemous. Abominations! No matter what Seth wants me to call it, I will not lie like that. Lying is a sin!”
Seth decided that it was time to intervene. Her outburst would probably be ignored. Emily wasn’t the sort to look too deeply into people’s words. She took people how they came and he knew she wouldn’t look for the deeper—and real—meaning behind the words. But he was afraid that Melody would slip up again. This was not the time to call attention to her uniqueness.
“She was kicked out because she had sinned. She was not allowed to take anything with her. That’s apparently the rules.” He said as a way of greeting.
Seth had never particularly liked Emily. He didn’t dislike her either, but he thought her love of fashion, clothes and pretty things to be, well... foolish. There were more important things to think about in the world. Fun and appearances were not high on Seth’s list.
“Oh. Hi, Seth! I didn’t see you there!” Everything Emily said seemed to have an exclamation mark. She was just too outgoing. Which was why she got along perfectly with Caleb.
Seth didn’t look at the blonde girl, preferring to keep his attention on Melody. He needed to understand her. To judge her if she was honest. He still wasn’t comfortable with her around. And well, if he was really honest with himself—which he always was—he’d have to admit that he also watched her to catch her reaction to him.
Melody didn’t disappoint. She could never hide anything. Her face was expressive, revealing her every thought. Her eyes widened now: surprised. However there was slight guilt in the depths, possibly for almost refuting their cover story? There was also a slight pink to her cheeks. It was a lovely dusting of rose—Seth thought before he could kick himself for such a silly remark.
He made himself look down at the rest of her. “I see you brought her some of your clothes until new ones arrive. Thank you Emily.” He didn’t bother to look at her while speaking. He was too busy assessing Melody.
She didn’t quite fill out the shirt as much as Emily did. It was a simple jersey tee, and a little baggy, but still managed to highlight her curves when she moved—as she did now, leaning back in the chair as if to escape his gaze. She still clearly didn’t have a bra on, but Seth could live with that for the time being. Well, live as long as he could with half of his blood in his nether regions. The shorts fit her snugly, and he knew they would show off her backside nicely.
This would be a problem. Seth could hardly concentrate on work as it was, and now that they were training a second vet technician, he needed his full concentration.
That meant he wanted her in something ugly, something large and unfortunate that would hide her body. But he knew that it wasn’t her clothes that were the problem. It was him. His mind, his lust. The last thing he needed to do was start to have f
eelings for, or to come on to, Caleb’s love interest.
But was she crazy? A part of Seth’s mind asked. He had seen evidence himself that her abilities were real. Not only had she healed her back, but the other day after Melody had cut herself with a kitchen knife she healed her finger too. She’d been trying to learn how to cook, for she said that it was a Human thing to do and it interested her greatly—her words. Seth was going over the grounds with his construction foreman Nate. And he’d heard Melody’s scream.
Seth and Nate got there just in time to see Melody holding her bloody hand while Caleb stood beside her frantic with worry. He needn’t have bothered though. As Nate rushed over to her with a towel, her wound had healed itself. Nate had wiped away only to find perfectly unblemished skin. Luckily he didn’t seem to notice the problem, commenting on how the cut must have been under the nail and that the pressure stopped the bleeding. Seth still worried though.
“Emily taught me a lot!” Melody commented, bringing Seth out of his mind. It was something that happened often, as Seth was constantly stuck in his own thoughts. Caleb usually just let him be.
“That’s good,” Seth responded, not knowing what else to say, really. He wasn’t much for communication.
“So, where is Cay? I saw him earlier with someone.” Emily butted in. She seemed to always have something to say.
Caleb would have laughed and rebutted but Seth found no reason to. “He’s with our contractor, Nate. Nate built the clinic and the house. He just came by to see how everything was, and to make sure we were happy with the final project.”
Melody nodded. “He is very nice.”
Emily laughed, the sound seeming to carry through the house. “He is? Well he sure is nice to look at!” She exclaimed. Her eyes focused on Melody as if that was a fact that she couldn’t dispute. Just the thought of Melody pinning after the strong reliable Nate was enough to make Seth see green.
“I suppose so. He has symmetrical features and nice eyes.” Melody replied, calming Seth down some.
Emily giggled a little and turned to her new friend. “It’s not really about the way he looks. It’s about how he makes you feel.” She cautioned. It wasn’t surprising to Seth that Emily knew how to judge attractiveness. She sure hung out at bars enough. Not that she was easy; she usually just stayed with her friends. But she knew how to flirt. Seth heard enough rants from Justin to know that he was worried that she’d get involved with the bartender, Jimmy.
Melody seemed to think over the words of wisdom that Emily gave. And finally she nodded. “I understand. Many of the men I’m used to are perfect but they do not cause me to feel anything. Since I have come here, I have felt quite a bit.”
Quite a bit? Did that include attraction? Was she thinking about Caleb? Of course she was.
Surprisingly that didn’t bother Seth as much as he thought it would. Sure, he wanted her. He wanted to touch her and make her feel. And yes, he didn’t want other men to lay a hand on her. But Caleb didn’t seem to follow those rules. Thinking of Caleb’s hands on her didn’t bother him. It actually made him want to touch her more for some reason—and he didn’t want to dwell on that thought! He only wished he had the right to kiss her when he knew she was his friend’s.
But no! He couldn’t want her. She thought she was an Angel. That made her crazy, didn’t it?
It always came back to that. He couldn’t seem to get his mind off of the fact that she healed herself. He never believed in the supernatural before, however he never had any proof. Though, did he now? He’d have to think and talk to Caleb.
Cay chose that moment to appear. He led Nate back into the house. “Hey, Seth. Everything seems good.” Caleb said, tilting his head to motion to Nate.
“Yeah. There doesn’t seem to be any problems here. If there any problems you have at the clinic, I’m here for a few weeks so I can deal with it now. “
Seth nodded and moved away from the door, dismissing the girls. Right now the conversation was more important. The clinic was more important.
“Yeah, there is something with the wiring. It flickers sometimes and it hasn’t been a problem yet but it might be if we are in surgery when it happens again.” Seth said, not noticing the girl’s curious looks.
They weren’t directed at him. He supposed that Emily didn’t really care about wiring issues at the clinic. And Melody acted as if she didn’t know what wiring or anything was. The microwave caused her to gasp in wonder. Obviously they were contemplating Nate.
He supposed that the man was attractive, not that Seth was interested in men, but he could look at it objectively. Nate was older than Caleb’s 26 and younger than Seth’s 29. He had short blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was slightly taller than Seth, which put him around 6’4”—while Seth was 6’3, and Caleb was 6’ even. There was something rough about him, something that neither Caleb nor Seth had. He just hoped that Melody was more attracted to smooth charm than chin stubble and dirty jeans.
Not that he hoped that for himself. No, of course not. He just didn’t want Cay to lose her.
“Caleb! I haven’t seen you since I got here! I thought you were avoiding me! How are you? And who’s your friend?” Emily exclaimed, really that was the only word for it, as she bounded out of the room and wrapped Caleb into a big hug.
Seth had once wondered about Emily and Caleb, but he had since realized that their relationship was more like that of siblings. And Seth felt better about the pair since that. It would have been a complicated and messy situation. Seth didn’t like messy relationships. And all relationships got messy eventually.
“Hey, buttercup. I’m good. Thanks for helping Melody out. This is Nate.” He gestured in the man’s direction, “Nate, that little one is Emily. Sister of a friend of ours. And you remember Melody.” When Caleb turned to Melody to include her in the introduction he seemed to stop.
Seth watched as his best friend’s hazel eyes took the girl in. He could read shock and appreciation on Caleb’s face. The tension in the air was palpable. The sizzle and sparks that flew from his friend’s gaze was like a neon sign showing his intentions. He was obviously hooked.
Seth completely understood. He could feel tension filling his body, his muscles contracting and his heart speeding up. He wasn’t even aware of Nate’s attention on Emily, or that they were even in the room. Upon seeing Melody in normal clothes, things got more real. And now seeing Caleb’s attraction seemed to affect Seth all over again.
Weird.
6
Melody could not help but feel how the air seemed to get thicker, yet at the same time come alive with something... exciting. She could practically feel Caleb’s eyes on her body as he looked at her now. It made her hair stand on end and her skin buzz. Her skin wanted more, but what?
And Seth, she could not forget her Commander. He too looked at her, his eyes dark with something stirring, but he did not keep his eyes on her. No, he looked between her and the Warrior, for some reason.
Melody wanted to go to them, to touch them, to do... Darn! If only she had thought to talk to Emily about that! The girl surely knew what this feeling was. She would know what Melody could do about it. But no, she learned things about shopping, being a hostess, talking to people—as if she had to be taught that! But it seemed to Melody that they hadn’t—a contraction!—gotten to any important things.
Melody dragged her eyes away from Seth to look at the girl in question. Emily was pretty and she had felt a little anger towards her at first. It was an anger that seemed to take over her mind without any warning or reason. The thoughts of Emily’s good qualities seemed to make this rage worse. It wasn’t until Nate walked by the window that—in her run-on, ramble-y sentence kind of way—she explained the kind of relationship that she had with the boys.
She also implied that relationships were only supposed to be between two people, which was something Melody suspected but it left her with a confusing decision. Did she want a relationship with one of the men – and really, what did
a relationship entail? —and if she did, which one would she choose? Was she bad for being attracted to them both? These were questions she should have asked, but now it was too late.
Or was it?
Emily had already picked up her things to leave. She had thoughtfully brought some clothing for Melody and had taught her how to pick clothing on the internet—what a magical invention, on a wonderful machine!
Emily pushed through the group to head to the door, with Nate right behind her. “Bye all! I have to go do some yard work!” she called before Mel could suggest walking her out, like a good hostess did. After all, Melody had to do something to earn her place here.
“I should go too,” Nate called, aggravating her more. Couldn’t they wait like nice people for her to walk them out and say goodbye? How rude!
Melody rushed after them, making it to the door in time to watch them open it and walk out. “Could you wait for a moment, Emily? I’d like to speak to you before you go,” she hastened. Once out the door she closed it. It would not do for the guys to hear her conversation.
“I’ll see you guys later. It was a pleasure to meet you Emily. Oh, and you too Melody, you should be more careful.” Nate cautioned as he walked down the driveway to his large, blue pickup truck—she believed they are called. He quickly got in before the vehicle suddenly made a horrendously loud sound. It was like a growl and caused Melody to jump, and squeak a little.
Emily laughed so hard she doubled over to pull in air. “Haven’t you ever heard a car before?” she asked, still giggling a little.
Melody felt so embarrassed she felt her face heating a little. Was that normal? “Well, yes. But not from very close. I thought the noise I heard was from nature. Perhaps thunder or well... I did not think about it much.”
“Oh, sweetie! It’s alright.” She said, her voice steady now that she managed to breathe properly. Really! People should know that oxygen is important for the body and not deprive themselves with so much laughter and such! Besides, why do people tend to call her names other than her own?
